Airports In Nova Scotia: A Comprehensive Overview

There are four airports in Nova Scotia, two of which are major airports. The province has a handful of general aviation airports, including the Sydney / J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport and the Margaree Airport. Debert Airport is another airport in Nova Scotia, which is operated by Celtic Air.

There are four airports in Nova Scotia

The four airports in Nova Scotia serve the Canadian province, with major airports at the top of the list. The list is sorted by the name of the community served, with airport names in italics being part of the National Airports System. While there are four airports in total, there are only a handful of general aviation airports across the entire Nova Scotia.

The Sydney / J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport is one of the more well-known airports in Nova Scotia, as it is the only general aviation airport in the Annapolis Valley. This airport has been the subject of some complaints, with one flyer noting the high number of planes overhead at 10:00 pm on May 17th. The flyer expressed frustration that this airport, which they considered the "very best" in Nova Scotia, was being closed for the "possible" expansion of a business.

The Debert Airport is another airport in Nova Scotia that has been mentioned in online forums. This airport relies solely on commercial aircraft ramp fees, commercial landing fees, and private aircraft landing fees for its income. Celtic Air, which operates the airport, charges fees based on the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of the aircraft. Anyone with questions about these fees can contact the airport at 902-625-2206.

Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport

There are four airports in Nova Scotia, one of which is Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport. This airport is located in Reserve Mines and serves the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) and the surrounding areas of Cape Breton Island. It is the oldest public airport in Nova Scotia, first licensed in 1929, and features two runways and one passenger terminal. The airport is named after John Alexander Douglas McCurdy, a Canadian aviation pioneer who set a series of aviation records and established the first aviation school in Canada.

The airport has two runways, one with ILS-I capabilities and the other served by RNAV. These runways are approximately aligned in the east-west and north-south direction and are served by two taxiways. The airport serves general aviation, charter, and business aircraft, offering a range of services and facilities for private aircraft operators.

Debert Airport

There are four airports in Nova Scotia, one of which is Debert Airport. Debert Airport is located near Debert, Nova Scotia, Canada and has three runways. It was established in 1941 as Royal Air Force (RAF) Station Debert and was used during World War II as RAF No. 31 Operational Training Unit in support of RAF Ferry Command. In 1971, the Debert Airport and its surrounding land were purchased by the Government of Nova Scotia for development as the Debert Air Industrial Park, and in 1972, the Truro Flying Club was formed. Today, the Debert Flight Centre, a division of the original Truro Flying Club, still provides instruction to pilots, from student pilots to commercial students.

The Debert Aviation Centre (DAC), Colchester’s state-of-the-art aviation facility, is located at Debert Airport. The 40,000 sq ft facility was fully renovated in July 2021 to help meet the growing demand for qualified aviation professionals in Atlantic Canada. The Debert Aviation Centre has been engineered for function and provides an optimal environment to house and maintain sophisticated, high-performance aircraft. It also offers ample office and workshop space to accommodate various aviation-related businesses.

Each summer, the airport is home to the Debert Cadet Flying Training Centre, where a group of Royal Canadian Air Cadets train to receive their Glider Pilot's Licence. However, in early 2022, it was announced that Debert would no longer be used as a cadet summer training centre, ending a long tradition of young Canadian cadets earning their wings.

The Debert Flight Centre offers flight training, scenic tours, and other aviation services.

Margaree Airport

There are 4 airports in Nova Scotia, including Sydney / J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport and Debert Airport. Margaree Airport is one of these airports. It is located in the Municipality of the County of Inverness, adjacent to the world-renowned Cabot Trail, and is central to Cape Breton's finest attractions. The airport's focus is tourism, with the aim of bringing new business to Cape Breton Island.

In 2014, the Inverness Municipality submitted an application to the Build Canada Fund to expand and upgrade the existing Municipal Airport in Margaree to create the 'Cape Breton Island Airport'. The airport has a beautiful asphalt runway, nicely maintained, and a small terminal building. There are three hangars, of which only one looked serviceable. The middle hangar was falling down and full of non-aviation junk, and the third hangar was closed with what looked like a municipal ditch mower parked in front.

The airport's elevation is 181 feet MSL, and the magnetic variation from 2015 is 19° West. The time zone is UTC-4. The flight information region is Moncton Southern. The airport is within walking distance of the Normaway Inn.

Sable Island Airport

Prior permission is required to land at Sable Island Airport. Before an aircraft is allowed to land, the Operations Coordinator of Parks Canada's Sable Island Station must thoroughly inspect the area in use that day. With prior permission from Parks Canada, rotary aircraft (helicopters) can operate from the Sable Island Station helipad.

Sable Aviation operates a Britten-Norman Islander with an oversize tire modification on regular flights to the beach from Halifax Stanfield International Airport. It is the contracted fixed-wing service provider for Sable Island. The airport's elevation is 4 feet MSL and the time zone is UTC-4(3).

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